Her niece was pretty, well-mannered, and deeply cherished at home. If she ended up living with Dong Zhiqing, their life together wouldn’t be smooth.
Right now, with no marriage tying her down, her cousin-in-law still doted on her. But in the future, once she married, her husband’s family wouldn’t be so forgiving or indulgent.
And when her cousin-in-law grew old, who could this girl count on for support?
“You silly girl,” Wang Lanhua sighed, “don’t think I’m just meddling because I’m free. It’s not that I look down on you and Dong Zhiqing—it’s that you’re a good girl, good-looking, educated. You deserve better. I won’t just let Sangeyou stay in the transportation team forever.
I’ll find you a job too. Once you transfer your household registration to the city, wouldn’t it be a waste to marry that Dong Wenzhong boy?”
The more Wang Lanhua spoke, the more she disliked Dong Zhiqing. Her expression turned grim with distaste.
Seeing her aunt more concerned and proactive than even her own mother, Xu Ying felt a surge of warmth. She smiled and said sweetly, “Auntie, I’ll listen to you and my parents. I won’t see Dong Zhiqing anymore.”
“Really?” Wang Lanhua’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh heavens, this girl’s finally come to her senses!”
“Really,” Xu Ying nodded firmly, feeling like her aunt was more of a mother to her than anyone else.
Wang Lanhua clutched Xu Ying’s hand tightly, her face splitting into a crooked, satisfied grin. “Good girl. If you understand now, your mother will be so happy.
Alright then, you go up the mountain with Shitou. I’ll go talk to the others.”
With that, Wang Lanhua left, holding the sole of a shoe in her hand. Her mouth couldn’t stay still for a second—if she wasn’t gossiping, it felt itchy and uncomfortable.
“Ladies, let’s continue chatting. Where were we?” she called as she rejoined her circle of friends.
Meanwhile, Xu Ying headed toward the mountain, walking alongside Shitou and Huzi.
Shitou slung his hands behind his back, glancing up curiously at Xu Ying. “Aunty , do you really not like Dong Zhiqing anymore?”
Xu Ying burst out laughing at the question and turned to face him. “What, you don’t believe me? I really don’t like him anymore. Do you even know what it means to like someone?”
Shitou nodded and shook his head at the same time. “I know you liked him before. You used to talk about marrying him all the time. So if you don’t like him now, does that mean you won’t marry him either?”
Xu Ying affectionately ruffled his hair. “That’s right. I won’t marry him. In fact, I don’t want to get married at all—I just want to stay here with you two.”
Not get married?
Shitou’s heart secretly felt relieved. Honestly, it was better if his Aunty didn’t marry Dong Zhiqing. He remembered his mother scolding his father day and night, complaining that Xu Ying had been blind to fall for Dong Wenzhong of all people.
Well, now his sister-in-law’s finally opened her eyes.
Maybe falling into that river really had washed away the dirt from her eyes.
Xu Ying had no idea what this mischievous boy was thinking. If she knew, she’d have to take off her shoe and chase after him with it.
The three of them bypassed the work area and took a small path up the mountain.
This time, Xu Ying also carried a basket on her back.
“Shitou, Huzi, come here,” she called out with a smile. “I brought you some biscuits.” She took out a few scallion oil biscuits from her basket—none of them wrapped in packaging.
Huzi was the first to scamper over, his little steps eager. He took a biscuit, swallowed hard, and politely said, “Thank you, aunty.”
Shitou came over too, still carrying his own basket. He eyed the biscuits in her hand and swallowed. “aunty, have you eaten yet?”
“I’ve already eaten. These are for you two.” Xu Ying handed the rest to Shitou.
Shitou took a big bite, the delicious aroma making his eyes light up. “Sister-in-law, these biscuits are even better than shortbread!” he exclaimed happily.
“Brother, what’s shortbread?” Huzi asked curiously, blinking up at him. He had never eaten it before.
Shitou glanced at Xu Ying guiltily. “It’s a sweet, crispy pastry. This one’s salty. I’ve never had it before either—it’s my first time.”
The truth was, he’d only ever tasted shortbread once, the time he secretly stole a piece from his aunty’s stash because he couldn’t resist. But she never noticed.
“You two eat first,” Xu Ying said, standing up and scanning the surroundings. “I’m going to see if there’s any game around.”
When Shitou heard that, his eyes sparkled as he remembered the delicious fish soup they’d had yesterday at noon, and the pheasant stew from last night. He quickly nodded. “Sister-in-law, I’ll keep an eye on Huzi. You can go look.
But don’t go deep into the mountains—there are man-eating monsters up there! Just stay close and look around, okay?”
Xu Ying laughed at Shitou’s serious, adult-like warnings. “Alright, alright, I hear you. I won’t go far.”
Shitou nodded solemnly and sat down with Huzi to eat their biscuits, both boys smiling happily as they munched.
“Brother, aunty is really so nice,” Huzi beamed. The biscuits were delicious.
“Yeah,” Shitou nodded firmly. “She’s the best. When we grow up and earn money, we’ll give it all to her.”
“Okay!” Huzi agreed immediately.
Meanwhile, Xu Ying headed toward the river, basket on her back. This time, she wasn’t as lucky as yesterday. Not only did she not see a pheasant—she didn’t even spot a feather. But she did stumble upon five duck eggs.
Worried they’d crack in her basket, she simply tucked them into her space.
Thinking of all the scary rumors about the mountain, Xu Ying’s heart stirred with curiosity and excitement. After facing zombies and mutant beasts in the apocalypse, what big wild animal could scare her now?
She pressed deeper into the forest. The further she walked, the dimmer the light became. Tall trees stretched skyward, their thick canopies blocking out the sun, letting only scattered rays filter through the leaves.
Occasionally, the breeze rustled the foliage, sounding eerily like soft weeping in the distance, adding a spooky atmosphere to the mountain.
Before the apocalypse, Xu Ying would’ve been scared stiff by such a setting. But after surviving that brutal world, her courage was tempered like steel.
Inside her space were plenty of weapons—cutting-edge tools developed for the apocalypse, each one powerful.
For safety, she pulled out a short knife and a bow and arrows.
The bow was specially bought from an apocalyptic weapons shop. Made of resilient bamboo, it had excellent flexibility. Its Dacron bowstring boasted superior durability and load-bearing capacity.
The arrows were also bamboo. She had stocked up back then, with thousands tucked away in her space—though she only carried ten at the moment.
With her bow ready, Xu Ying continued wandering through the woods.
It was quiet—no one else around. And this part of the forest seemed untouched, like a secret treasure trove.
Suddenly, she spotted a hare not far away. She instinctively raised her bow, nocked an arrow, drew the string, aimed—and let it fly.
The arrow shot out like lightning. The hare fell. Xu Ying hurried over.
Her shot hadn’t been perfect—the arrow had pierced the hare’s leg instead of a vital spot. But it couldn’t run anymore. She tossed it into her space.
Pushing deeper into the forest, she soon heard the rush of a powerful river. Following the sound, she reached a wide riverbank—where a flock of pheasants were pecking around.
This time, she didn’t bother with arrows. Instead, she pulled out a bundle of ice blades from her space and hurled them.
The blades fanned out like blooming petals, slicing through the air. Several pheasants dropped instantly, while the others flapped away in a panic.
Satisfied with her haul of three pheasants, Xu Ying tied them together with grass and tossed them into her space.
Suddenly, a chilling roar echoed through the forest, making her skin prickle.
Her ears perked up. Quietly, she followed the sound—until, from a distance, she saw a pack of snarling wolves gathered at the base of a slope.
On the ground lay a massive wild boar, lifeless.
And standing beside the boar… was a man.
His clothes were torn to shreds by the wolves’ attacks, exposing a body rippling with muscle.
Thick chest muscles, sculpted abs—his physique radiated raw power and strength.
Xu Ying’s breath hitched.
…That body was something else.